Does the Yuan family aspire to be the prime minister's family?
Duanmu Ci was somewhat surprised. He knew the Minamoto family was a prestigious clan in Japan with a thousand-year history and a high social standing. However, due to their consistently anti-war stance during World War II, they had always opposed the Emperor and the military, which is why they had been persecuted since the war. While families like Hatoyama and Abe rose to prominence, the Minamoto family remained relatively quiet, rarely making any moves in politics.
Now that the imperial family is preparing to marry the princess to the Genji, it presumably implies a desire for reconciliation. In other words, the imperial family is no longer willing to dwell on this old grievance and wants to work together with the Genji to create a better future. Receiving such a clear hint, Minamoto no Yoshimune's anger naturally flared, and he too longed to sit in that position of supreme power.
Duanmu Ci pondered for a moment, then asked softly, "Does Mr. Yizong want to become prime minister?"
"No, no, no!" Minamoto no Yoshimune shook his head and waved his hands. "I am just a layabout. I am not even capable of governing the Minamoto clan, let alone a country. Moreover, I have never held any position in the government. How can I be qualified to run for office? The Minamoto clan only wants to support a branch of the Minamoto clan, not me."
Duanmu Ci said, "The Genji clan holds a prestigious position, so it is only natural for them to strive for the position of prime minister. It should be so."
Minamoto no Yoshimune said, "It seems the Duanmu family has agreed to help our Minamoto clan?"
Duanmu Ci smiled and said, "When it comes to matters of the heart, it's naturally my duty to help. But... how can I assist you?"
That's a very pertinent question. It's important to understand that the Duanmu family in Japan has virtually no influence beyond the Gongshumo Construction Company and a few plots of land. Politically assisting the Genji in their quest for power is impossible, and militaryly, that's out of the question—it's not like they're staging a coup…
Therefore, only economic assistance remains.
Minamoto no Yoshimune ordered the tea set to be removed, and then said, “Our Minamoto clan has been lying low for many years. Not many people are optimistic about our chances of becoming prime minister. Therefore, the political donations we can raise will not be much. This is very disadvantageous for the election!”
Political donations refer to financial assistance provided to individuals or groups engaged in election campaigns, thereby influencing elections for public office. This is a common phenomenon in politics, as regularly held elections require substantial funds, which are often difficult to meet solely through the assets of political parties or candidates. Therefore, they must raise funds from the public through various means.
In short, political donations play an extremely important role in election campaigns, even a pivotal one! After all, most voters are followers and rarely have their own political stance. Generally speaking, whoever does the best advertising, whoever has the most compelling brand, and whoever makes the most convincing slogans will succeed!
Therefore, by exploiting the loophole of "political donations," the so-called "money politics" has emerged. If the person they support wins the election, the benefits they can gain are far more than just a little.
Duanmu Ci had naturally considered this as well. In terms of friendship, he and the Genji family had been close friends for two generations; in terms of interests, if the Genji won the election, the Duanmu family's business in Japan would naturally expand as well. It was a win-win situation, so Duanmu Ci naturally wouldn't refuse.
Duanmu Ci said, “Someone in Japan once said, ‘You have to throw money around before an election so much that the banknotes stand up.’ The United States spent a total of $5.3 billion in the 2008 election, which is indeed a money-burning thing. However, since the Duanmu and Genji families have been on good terms for generations, if the Genji family is in trouble, my Duanmu family will naturally not stand idly by. Please rest assured, Mr. Yoshimune.”
Minamoto Yoshimune smiled and said, “Hearing you say that makes me feel much more at ease. However, recently there has been a lot of criticism from the public regarding political donations, and the government intends to tighten this loophole. According to the latest Political Funds Control Law, donations of 50,000 yen or more must be disclosed. So if there are too many donations, it may cause public resentment and have the opposite effect.”
"So, what Yoshimune-sensei means is...?"
"Suppress our opponents' financial resources!" Minamoto no Yoshimune declared decisively. "Due to the recent public opinion climate, prime ministerial candidates are hesitant to have much contact with the zaibatsu (financial conglomerates), only making contact with one or two at a time. So, if we strike at their core and create a hole in their purse strings, we might win without a fight!"
"To poke a hole in the opponent's purse?" Duanmu Ci chuckled. "Does Master Yizong have some ideas?"
Minamoto Yoshimune laughed, "I know all about the Duanmu family's actions in Chicago. They're truly remarkable! Heroes emerge from among the young. To be able to cause Morgan such a huge setback, I, Minamoto Yoshimune, am far inferior to them. My question is, could the Duanmu family recreate what happened in Chicago in Tokyo?"
"Recreate it in Tokyo?" Duanmu Ci frowned. "That might be difficult. Although I own some real estate in Tokyo, I don't have control over the land, unlike when I was in Chicago. Besides, no one has come to buy my land recently. How can I recreate it?"
"You've misunderstood, you've misunderstood!" Minamoto no Yoshimune waved his hand and said, "I didn't mean to completely replicate what happened in Chicago, I just wanted to draw inspiration from it. The Duanmu family has quite a bit of land in Ginza... right? Many of those places were acquired with your help by our Minamoto clan back then!"
Duanmu Ci said, "Mr. Yizong, please speak frankly. If there is anything we can do to help, the Duanmu family will certainly do our best."
“I’ve observed that our biggest opponent in this Minamoto clan’s prime ministerial election is Aokawaki, and his main source of political donations is the Mitsukoshi family,” Minamoto no Yoshimune said. “The Mitsukoshi family is Japan’s largest chain department store, the oldest and most upscale department store in Japan. And the core of the Mitsukoshi family’s business is in Ginza!”
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